"The Terror" by Dan Simmons
 

My review . . .

An adventure tale set in the mid-1850s. A lengthy read but worth the journey. Filled with an interesting cast of unique characters, The Terror is a fictional account of two sailing ships which become locked in the ice for three years in their quest to discover the North West Passage. The crews of the vessels must survive against incredible cold, diminishing rations, their own ability to maintain hope and an unknown monster that stalks them from across the ice. A good read for those who like survival-adventure tales but this one ends with an interesting twist that tips to the fantastical. I would have rated it better but for the fact this book could have benefited from some aggressive editing. At one point, the author goes on for several pages just listing all of the survivors of the two ships—-a recounting that serves only minimal value. At nearly 800 pages, this tale could have been equally effective with a little judicious pruning.

I enjoyed it immensely, though I've got to agree he could have trimmed a little here and there. The ending didn't really seem to fit with the rest of the book to me. It started as a horror story, then turned into... I don't know, something else. Overall I enjoyed it though.

I'm reading it right now. I like it. It reminds me of an Edgar Allan Poe story, maybe because of the setting and time period than anything else.